Take the voodoo out of video. Part 4

More tips and tricks to help you make video marketing a reality.Shoot something other other than what you’re shooting (it’s called b-roll).
Interviews, documentaries, narrative films, live performances: whatever you’re shooting, you’re going to need more footage than your main shots. That’s where b-roll comes in (also known as cutaway shots). Think of anything you’ve watched recently. Sometimes the camera will move to the people they’re talking to, sometimes to topics that the main characters are talking about, sometimes to elements around the character, including the speakers’ hands. That’s because we’re trained as viewers to crave motion, and we get bored or lose focus if we don’t have it.

• When you’re shooting, make sure to get plenty of b-roll shots.
• Get your main shots first, then circle back for b-roll on a second pass.
• Once you’ve heard your interviewee (or character if it’s a film), match your cutaway shots to the dialogue, monologue or song you just captured.

Don’t be a shut-in.
Shooting outside is a lot easier than it used to be, thanks to the automatic neutral density (ND) filters in many of today’s camcorders and phone cameras. These filters are like sunglasses for your cameras, and give you the right level of filtering automatically to ensure that your outside shots have the right brightness and contrast.

• If you’re shooting with DSLRs or mirrorless cameras, you can get affordable ND filters at camera stores, Amazon and elsewhere. But there are still a few things you should be aware of when shooting in daylight.
• If you’re interviewing someone, choose a shady spot for consistent lighting.
• If you are shooting in the sun, place yourself with your back to the sun and have your subject face you (so the sunlight is on her face).
• If you’re shooting outside a lot, invest in a bounce. This is a reflector that will bounce the sunlight onto your subject’s face to reduce silhouetting. They are foldable, portable and cheap — find them at Amazon and just about every camera store.

Skype is your best friend for rehearsals.
On-screen talent can make or break your video. So schedule plenty of rehearsals before your shoot. Of course, this can be easier said than done considering everyone’s schedules. That’s where video meeting sites like Skype, Zoom and now even FaceTime come in.

• Schedule video conference calls for multiple people using the free versions of any video meeting app.
• Pre-shoot rehearsals are invaluable for shoot day — especially if you’re in an outdoor location under harsh conditions, or pressed for time in an indoor location.

Before the shoot, test, test, test.
There’s enough excitement, action and pressure on shoot day without having to sweat through a bad battery or malfunctioning microphone.

• Make sure to test everything before the shoot.
• Not only will testing assure you that your equipment is good to go, it will also refresh your memory on how to operate your equipment (which button should be blinking, and which should be solid).
• Of course, you still may encounter a glitch or two on shoot day (more on that in another tip), but at least you’ll know you’ve got all the basics covered.

Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi from Pexels
Remain calm (or at least fake it).
You’ve done all your planning, scouted your location, prepped your actors and tested your equipment. Now it’s shoot day, and Murphy’s Law kicks in: a camera malfunctions, a light fizzes, or an actor/interviewee gets a frog in her throat.

• Do. Not. Panic.
• The entire cast and crew (even if it’s just you and your subject) take their lead from you. If you start sweating, screaming and/or shaking, they will too.
• Smile, shrug your shoulders, laugh and keep your voice steady.
• Think of the people at NASA Mission Control: no matter what happens, they remain calm and cool — and they have a lot more at stake than you (although it may not feel that way on shoot day).
• Even if you can’t achieve Zen-like calmness on the inside, fake it on the outside. You’ll not only keep everyone else calm, you’ll be in a better state to figure out how to fix the problem (hint: duck tape — more on this in another tip).

More tips are on the way. Stay tuned.
Mark Bellusci is an award-winning filmmaker, published playwright and freelance copywriter. The filmmaking and playwriting started as hobbies, became crafts, and are now how he makes his living, along with copywriting. And somewhere along the way, he picked up an MBA from Baruch College, CUNY. See his stuff at markbellusci.com.


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